You can bet there will be tons of talk on the Sunday shows about McCain's twin ads: first the Britney Spears video and then "The One," which the NYT’s Kate Phillips describes this way:

"The heavens part in this new Web ad, which wraps Mr. Obama’s words around the emerging meme among Republicans (and even Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton when she talked about the ‘celestial choirs’) that the presumptive Democratic nominee is the ‘anointed’ one, and mocks him with a parting of the seas by Moses."

Republicans seem pretty divided by the silliness of the ads, especially with the all the sobering news surrounding this election. But they also feel McCain has been clobbered for many weeks now, and they will take what they can get.

What McCain got this week was tons of exposure -- much of it because all of us pounced on these campaign ads and touted ’em for free. As POLITICO's J-Mart points out:

"Beating out all the semi-porn videos and some Miley Cyrus riff, John McCain's ‘Celeb’ ad was the most viewed video on YouTube this week.

“The tally as of Friday at 4:15: 1,271,140 views.

“And one can only imagine how many more people saw it on cable and network TV."

The PR bounce wasn't cost-free, according to TPM's Greg Sargent.

"Evan Tracey, who tracks national ad buys for the Campaign Media Analysis Group, tells us that McCain is spending over $140,000 a day to run the spot. That accounts for roughly a third of his current overall TV ad spending, Tracey says.
“
The ad is running in McCain's 11 target states, … so it's not a huge buy when spread across all those states, though it's certainly not insignificant.

Seems like a pretty successful buy. Not clear yet how much McCain will spend on "The One."

The Gallup tracking poll also showed an uptick of McCain: tied on Friday.

That said, the Obama camp is convinced - and it may be right - that McCain only damages its image long-term with ads like these. They seem content, for now, to savor more substantive victories such as PR for Obama's new plan to give struggling voters new assistance with high energy costs (vacationing Mike Allen was up first with the story yesterday morning and DRUDGE gave it a good ride for much of the day).

"As Mr. Obama carefully addressed the issue on Friday, his campaign’s formidable network of grass-roots activists, and the Web sites crafted to give them ‘talking points’ to carry into battle against Republicans, remained uncharacteristically quiet on the matter, even though the issue dominated political blogs for a second straight day.

“David Plouffe, the campaign manager, talked briefly, and not too eagerly, about it. And the campaign’s chief strategist, David Axelrod, blamed the Republicans for misconstruing Mr. Obama’s words as an attack, and quickly moved on."

WASHPOST's Weisman and Murray report was the subtext - and sometimes the chief distraction - on the campaign trail Friday.

"Yesterday showed how hard it will be for both to avoid the issue now that it has burst into the public sphere. Obama was heckled in St. Petersburg by black nationalists who accused him of not doing enough for the African American community. In Florida's Panhandle, McCain faced a barrage of questions from reporters and asserted that he is not running a negative campaign ‘in the slightest,’ even as his aides launched their latest online attack ad mocking Obama as a candidate with a messiah complex."

The balance transcends rhetoric. As the AP points out, Obama opposed offering "reparations to the descendants of slaves, putting him at odds with some black groups and leaders."

"The man with a serious chance to become the nation's first black president argues that government should instead combat the legacy of slavery by improving schools, health care and the economy for all."
This position does not sit well with the NAACP and many Democratic lawmakers.

NYT's Bob Herbert accuses McCain of a nasty style of race-baiting.

"Now, from the hapless but increasingly venomous McCain campaign, comes the slimy Britney Spears and Paris Hilton ad. The two highly sexualized women (both notorious for displaying themselves to the paparazzi while not wearing underwear) are shown briefly and incongruously at the beginning of a commercial critical of Mr. Obama.”

“The Republican National Committee targeted Harold Ford with a similarly disgusting ad in 2006 when Mr. Ford, then a congressman, was running a strong race for a U.S. Senate seat in Tennessee. The ad, which the committee described as a parody, showed a scantily clad woman whispering, ‘Harold, call me.’ …

“The racial fantasy factor in this presidential campaign is out of control. It was at work in that New Yorker cover that caused such a stir. (Mr. Obama in Muslim garb with the American flag burning in the fireplace.) It’s driving the idea that Barack Obama is somehow presumptuous, too arrogant, too big for his britches — a man who obviously does not know his place."

"Race is a central fact in the campaign. I think it's inescapable," said Tad Devine, a strategist for Sen. John Kerry's campaign in 2004. "It's smart to push back and push back hard. He's got to make sure that people's antennae are up and that the McCain camp cannot be allowed to send messages to people who are receptive to those messages."

PITY THE POLLSTERS

The WSJ has a terrific piece on the racial dimensions of presidential polling this time around.
"Peter Hart, a Democrat on a bipartisan team conducting the Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, estimates that 10% of current Democrats and independents who say they support presumed Democratic Party nominee Barack Obama may not be giving a fully honest answer, at least based on their responses to broader questions about race. ‘This election is exceptionally tricky,’ he says.

“While most political pollsters say they don't find large numbers of people lying on polls, they are taking extra precautions. At CBS, pollster Kathleen A. Frankovic says she will ask voters whether they think most people they know would vote for a black candidate -- an indirect way to fish for racial bias. John Zogby, president of the polling firm Zogby International, is asking white respondents whether they have ever been to a dinner party where a black person was present. It only takes a handful of people hiding their true opinion to skew poll results, he says: "A small number can loom large."

"Barack Obama may be only eight points ahead of John McCain in the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll, but he's creaming McCain in the number of pictures and stories published in The Post in the past two months."

"What we found: 122 photos of Obama have been published in the paper during that time to 78 for McCain, counting tiny to big. Most of those photos ran inside the paper; most on the politics page. The Page 1 photos are closer: Obama had nine to McCain's seven. Five of Obama's were above the fold; McCain had four. Obama also got more color photos, 72 to 49, and more large photos -- mostly those that spanned three or more columns, 30 to 10."

WSJ: "The U.S. unemployment rate in July hit a four-year high and job losses continued for the seventh consecutive month, raising concerns about the economy's prospects in coming months. ‘Consumers are nervous about job security and income and household wealth,’ a troubling sign because consumer spending represents more than two-thirds of the U.S. economy, said Bernard Baumohl, managing director of the Economic Outlook Group in Princeton, N.J. ‘If there's no improvement in labor markets, there's nothing to make people go out and spend. ... That's why I'm very pessimistic about the second half of the year.’”

One bit of upbeat news? PAULSON says stimulus bill was a success.

That seems to be the consensus. But with the deficit projected to soar next year ($482 BILLION for those keeping score at home), it’s doubtful Congress will keep pouring cash into the economy to prop it up.
There also seems to be a consensus that Democrats will be armed with much bigger majorities in the House and Senate next year - and facing even bigger economic troubles as foreclosures, unemployment and pessimism continue to rise.

It is depressing to read through the business pages, but essential for political reporters these days. It helps explain the dynamics of individual states and the overall mood of voters.

The NYT, for instance, explains why Michiganders will remain in a funk.

FORD AND GM "have undergone major revampings in recent years, yet they continue to post huge losses. And even as they burn through their cash reserves and slash more costs to stay afloat, the future looks tenuous...Neither company appears in immediate danger of failure. But analysts say Detroit is in a race against time."

Then there is Florida. It has not been lost on the campaigns that support for offshore drilling is on the rise as fuel costs are crushing tourism and other businesses.

AP: "Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Friday he would be willing to support limited additional offshore oil drilling if that's what it takes to enact a comprehensive policy to foster fuel-efficient autos and develop alternate energy sources.

“Shifting from his previous opposition to expanded offshore drilling, the Illinois senator told [The Palm Beach Post] he could back a compromise with Republicans and oil companies to prevent gridlock over energy."

STRAIGHTER TALK?

The WSJ is the latest news source to look at the new, more controlled McCain: fewer improvisational moments with the press, etc.

"It may be working. After days on the defensive, the McCain campaign drove the political news this week with provocative messages -- a new television ad on Wednesday that compared Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama to celebrities like Britney Spears and, on Thursday, Sen. McCain's declaration that Sen. Obama was playing the ‘race card.’ Regardless of the substance of these approaches, the campaign succeeded in getting its message heard above the week's political din."

DIRTY TALK

HUFFPOST's Sam Stein says he has empirical evidence that McCain is getting nasty.

"There is no doubt: in the past few weeks John McCain has made a conscious decision to run a negative, personalized campaign against Barack Obama. A campaign that was once focused on pushing the biographic attributes of its own candidate has now become almost uniquely intent on tearing down the opponent.

“This reading is objective. In the past month, the McCain campaign has launched ten web and television advertisements. The first two spots were almost entirely devoted to McCain. The last eight contained only three brief mentions of the Arizona Republican. Indeed, of the 16 minutes and 35 seconds of space that these eight ads filled, 14 minutes and three seconds were spent focused on or discussing Barack Obama. The Illinois Democrat was criticized on everything from high gas prices and snubbing the troops, to egomania. There was, of course, an eight-minute web ad debunking Obama's consistency on the Iraq War. But even if that spot is removed from the equation, the Obama-to-McCain ratio of ad focus is still almost two-to-one.”

TUBE TALK -- "Jack Reed Says McCain Camp Injected Race Issue Into Campaign," By Ken Fireman: "Senator Jack Reed [D-R.I.] said it was Republican candidate John McCain who injected race into the presidential campaign and is stooping to negative tactics out of fear he can't win the election any other way. 'This is something that Senator McCain's side initiated,' Reed, a close ally of Democratic candidate Barack Obama, said in an interview on Bloomberg Television's 'Political Capital with Al Hunt' ... .

"Reed said McCain television spots comparing Obama to celebrities Britney Spears and Paris Hilton were in keeping with harsh Republican tactics in recent campaigns and reflected a belief that only such methods could deliver victory. 'Senator McCain has decided, I think, the only way he can win is to negatively attack Senator Obama, not talk about the issues,' Reed said. 'We've seen over the last several cycles that this has been the staple of Republican campaigning.'"

If Americans are serious about solving the problems this country faces, these ads would decide the election; they address nothing, give no solutions, and make the American people seem silly and shallow. John McCain is a celebrity. He continually tells us about his heroic contributions to the country; he has been saluted for years. Why doesn't he appear in his own ad? And, thank you Hillary Clinton for helping the Republicans give this stupid message. I guess they thought that if you did it, they could copy it. America needs leaders, not children, on the political front.

Barack Obama brought this on himself by going to Germany and announcing to the WORLD in a campaign speech that "HE IS THE ONE' That the WORLD has been WAITING for!!! Then when McCain Puts it in an ad, Obama and his camp WHINE!! To make things worse, Obama comes back with his inflated ego of Look at me, I am good.... And he tells the dems HE IS THE SYMBOL of what THEY have been waiting for..... Then he whines when someone makes a deal out of it. To add to this, he tells people that McCain is playing the race card, when it was him that said in Germany, I know I don't look like the Politicians that have stood before you in the past, or to that effect. And, HE said that HE doesn't look like those other guys on the dollar bill, or the five dollar bills.... Then he Accuses McCain of Playing the Race CARD??? I have not heard one thing coming from the McCain camp about RACE!! Mr. Obama, would you like a little Cheese with that Whine???MarianR9

I'm hoping that Senator McCain isn't serious about these ads, because "straight talk" just went out the window. This sort of nonsense does the most unpatriotic thing I've seen in politics so far. Senator McCain's commericals contradict his entire campaign to stay above the fray. He designates an Obama win as traitorous to our country, despite the real fact that America (whatever percentage) may actually want Obama. As an in-the-middle, I lost whatever respect I had for McCain in the past week.

The MSM obviously wants the public to think the race is tied otherwise people wouldn't tune in to network/cable news. Could you imagine the hysteria that would ensue if it was determined that OBAMA called his wife a c...? If Obama screwed up the timing of the surge vs. Anbhar awakening do you think the press would sweep it under the rug like they did for McYawn?

The press is obviously giving McSneer a pass so that there's a political conversation among Americans this summer. If the press wasn't putting lipstick on McSnore, the poll numbers would laughably be in Obama's favor.

John McCain's next ad about Obama should be based on "America's Next Top Model." Once again, the American people will elect a president who is as superficial and shallow as they are. Senator McCain is a celebrity because he is a war hero and senator who has served the American people for 30+ years. Senator Obama is a celebrity because he has done what....??? Come to think of it, I would rather vote for Tyra Banks.

McCAIN’S UPPITY NEGRO STRATEGY --- Perhaps, I am blessed more than many African Americans to have a few genuine friends and professional associates throughout my life, who also happen to be White and genuinely believe in keeping it real. Clarity, honesty and integrity are our codes. This is the basis of our friendship and association over the last 30-plus years. Most often they are as disgusted as I am when breaking it down, making it plain and keeping it totally real about what certain other Whites and Blacks really mean when they speak.

However, when it comes to numerous other Blacks and Whites in the new millennium, speaking and thinking in deceptive social codes is as much a practice and art now as it was when I was born 55 years ago. "Uppity Negro" has been replaced with "elitist" or "arrogant" and even "articulate" and "persuasive" to the point of being accused a "celebrity." The vocabulary on America's race cards no longer has an obvious face or denomination.

So, let's keep it real. How many of us would vote for a presidential candidate who was not confident, disciplined, articulate, focused, persuasive, aggressive, knowledgeable, honest, likeably well known and directed about leading and governing a nation of over 300 million people. If elitist still basically means being one of the best and most skilled members of a group, then I'm not necessarily electing for President the guy or gal who can best guzzle a beer or latte with me.

Predictably, despite his "straight talk" about taking the high road, Senator John McCain and his unbridled surrogates attempt to roll the remaining voters who are still drunk on the drink of low expectations, distraction and dumbed-down comprehension. It's the most pitiful and desperate form of campaigning for one of the most dignified responsibilities in the world. It is also behavior, and schoolyard rhetoric, most unbecoming of someone purported and hyped to be the straight talking officer and a gentleman.

In Senator Barack Obama's quest to become commander in chief, he must not allow himself to be rope-a-doped into responses that diminish his presidential aspirations. As Mr. McCain and his unbridled GOP operatives rely on the first paragraph of their one-page campaign playbook, Obama must not allow the dignity of the office he seeks to be defined by the games and people that are in front of it. Let's see who does the most substantive solution oriented talking about the real issues that matter to all of us. The McCain game of passive-aggressive distractions is best won by not playing it.

In the end, the common conscious and spirit of diverse Americans will determine who is the best soldier for the bigger battles to come after Election Day. That determination will be made based on who fought fairly and best, as well as with integrity, to represent us before the world, and as a truer and better reflection of ourselves. --- dennis@DCIndependents.org

The McCain ads are fantastic! Worthy of Pollie's. Those boring "I'm a great American" ads get no coverage. McCain is using humor to highlight important points about Obama and his campaign. Obama whining about McCain's ads just reveal his jealousy.

Country First: but first put Toby Keith on your Ipod. "I Wanna Talk About Me" when all I want is buck and a quarter gasoline like the good ol' days when the good ol' boys first put Geo W Bush into office. Toby Keith and John McCain have fresh new ideas to repeat the success of Geo W Bush: "Beer For My Horses" and lynching.Toby Keith's song has legs and he knows how to use them

Please get over yourself! Because he's black and an elitess - he's a victim of uppity negroe strategy? That would be the same as saying John Kerry or Ted Kennedy are victims of uppity caucasian strategy. Why is every criticism of Senator Obama refuted as being cased in racism? I'm not voting for him because his ideas are 180 degrees from mine. I wouldn't vote (and haven't) for Kerry or Kennedy FOR THE SAME REASON.

The reason for the inane McCain ads is that McCain has a severe case of genius-envy. All through his school days, but especially at the Naval Academy, McCain felt he was surrounded by geniuses.From his position, low down on the IQ totem pole, everyone with a high double-digit IQ was a genius (and those with triple digits were other-worldly). McCain could never understand why everyone was smarter than he was. McCain could never understand why everyone got better grades than he did. McCain could never understand why everyone was more competent at everything than he was. McCain could never understand...anything. That's what being stupid causes, you can never understand...anything. And do we really need two presidents in a row, who can never understand...anything? Genius envy, it's a sad thing.

GM and Ford have both announced new incentive programs to move their inventories of giant autos. If you buy an Escalade or an Expedition, you will get a free horse trailer and horse, 'in the event you run out of gas, or for those days when you just want to 'Go Green''.

There is no question that rotten dirty ads work. Carl Rove is a master at being a dirty rotten human being. It also appears that McCain has taken up his mantra and therefore the ads will work. This is still a racist nation - I mean that as fact neither for or against. For that reason Obama Will lose.

Obama not ready to be president, wants to be in politics but cannot take the heat always crying. As soon as he is ask what have you done for the black community ? He answers by throwing him under the BUS. If you cannot ask him now, you will not dare ask him once he becomes president. He is 100 per cent sure he will be president. Hold on Obama, he was trying to get on the bus, not under the BUS. SHAME ON YOU FOR BEING DISRESPECTFUL TO YOUR LIKE;Y VOTER.

Obama said on T.V he was beat this week. No reason to being disrespectful and embarrassed the poor guy he asked Obama, what have you done for the black community? With all those wonderful speeches Obama has done he did not have an answer. He just told him he had address that at another time pretty much told him if that was not sufficient to vote for someone else or run for Presiden himself. Obama is cocky and arrogance. So MCCAIN got you beat this week, don't lose your balance MCCAIN is just warming up. Its about time MCAIN started to defend himself it was actually funny.

Mccain mocks the age issue so it will not hurt as much when it used .Obama mocks the race issue in the same way. For Mccain to call Obama out on this is nuts. Mcain should be called out for using the age card if thats the case. The RNC.Fox News and yes Mccain are injecting race into this election. What about the Texas RNC buttons: If Obama wins the White House can it still be called the White House? Every day on Fox News the race card is used from showing a pitcure of Michelle Obama with the caption : Whos your babys mama? Bill OReily says he will get a lynching party together if found out Michelle Obama was making un-patroitic statements.The Obamas using the terrorist fist jab. Using Osama name when showing a pitcure of Barack Obama . Mccain flyer: Obama is the Candidate Hamas want to win .Meaning Obama is a muslim.The NC,OR,TN and TX RNC all have used race in there ads and flyers about the Obamas. Mccain puts distance from what his party is putting out by claiming I do not approve of those tactics.However the image and damage is already done.Hillary Clinton did the same thing in primary season when things were put out. Hillary would let the story stew for about 4 days before she spoke out against it. I do not care what Mccain says the celebrity ad was the the Harold Ford ad in a more sutble way.Mccain is using every dirty card in his book to attack because the good Mccain lost the 2000 election.

Just saw the two recent McCain ads (The One, and The Celebrity) for the first time on the internet today. (I live in Russia so I'm a little behind on the latest in the US). My guess is that both of these ads will be devastatingly effective because: 1. they show McCain has a sense of humor, and 2. they poke fun at things that we know to be basically true, namely Obama's over-inflated ego (I noticed Obama's special presidential seal in one of the ads) - and the fact that the media is so over-the-top for OBAMA. dan in moscowdan in moscow

What in the h*ll kind of logic is that??How about "Vote for me because I..."

I'd like to hear ONE - JUST ONE - speech by McCain that doesn't include the phrases "Barack," "Obama," or "my opponent." Can he do that? Is he even slightly capable of that?

I've never seen a campaign so full of childish, petty attacks seething with jealousy, envy, and desperation. They're undignified and unworthy of a sitting U.S. Senator who claims to have a "long record in Congress." If he has what he claims, then I'd like to hear more about THAT instead of his disturbing obsession with the minutae of Barack Obama. (I mean really - bottled tea? Is that what it comes down to? All those years in Congress and it comes down to this. It's not just sad - it's downright tragic.)